MUSIC:Why would anyone volunteer to have a concert pianist live – and practise intensively – in their house for 10 days? Four families hosting participants in the Dublin International Piano Competition tell ARMINTA WALLACEwhy they do it
IT’S THAT TIME of year. pianos are being tuned all over Dublin. Black ties are being dry-cleaned. Music has already been memorised. Fingers are limbering up.
This year’s Dublin International Piano Competition began on May 3rd at the RDS and is building to a climactic finish at the National Concert Hall on Tuesday, when the finalists join the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor James Kavanagh. Some 60 entrants from four continents are all hoping to take home the coveted first prize, which brings with it a fistful of prestigious orchestral engagements as well as a €15,000 cash award.
None of this could happen without a complex network of organisers and volunteers. Each of the competing pianists is placed with a host family for their duration of their stay; they also get a designated driver to ferry them to and from practice sessions and events. Great for the competitors, but why do the volunteer families take on this gig?
Aibhlinn McCrann, Killiney. The deputy director of the Arts Council, McCrann has played host to DIPC competitors for every competition except one. This year, she is hosting a 27-year-old pianist from Riga.
“For us, it means adopting somebody as a family member and adapting your routine in order – if you’re juggling lots of balls in the air, as I would be – to plan more than you might normally. Between the host family and the designated drivers, there’s a lovely protective chrysalis for the competitors to emerge from when they have to meet the flak of this competition – which, even though they’re prepared for it, is hugely stressful.
“They come in unbelievably focused. You have to respect their space. They’ve been working towards this goal for anything up to three years – so it’s do or die time for them, and particularly if they don’t get past the first round. We had an Asian girl in the early years who didn’t, and she was inordinately upset.
“Last year we had an American guy who was doing well in the competition, so his teacher decided to come over for the final – and we took him in as well, which was a very interesting dynamic. And fascinating for my daughter, who’s a musician, to be at the table listening to these two guys talking about the philosophy of playing and how you geared up and didn’t gear up.
“Listening to them practise is like a 24/7 recital period. It can be interesting if you’re in a house where there are neighbours close by and the house is rocking. I have set up my neighbour for this one, as she’s just had a new baby . . .”
Aisling Grimley, South Circular Road. Her mother, Róisín, has been involved in the competition since the beginning but this is the first year Grimley has hosted a competitor.
“It’s an incredible undertaking, the whole thing. Some competitors might be allergic to dogs; some might have particular dietary requirements; all of that is taken into consideration when they’re allocated to their host families.
“We have a Chinese girl. She’s 20. Our house isn’t particularly big, but we have the attic, which is quite separate, so she has her own space for the 10 days. She is lovely. We’re rooting for her to do well. The competition has always been won by a male pianist so it would be great to have the first female winner this time around.
“We have four daughters aged 16, 14, 11 and five. They’re all learning piano, and I think it is inspirational for them to see somebody work at that level. As to whether it will put them off, to see the stress levels involved at international competition level, well, I think they’re quite realistic. I like the girls to have exposure to as many different situations and experiences as possible – and I reckon we’re lucky to have this opportunity.”
Síle Clancy, Clontarf. “This is the first time we’ve been a host family. Most of my own family play music, and I play the violin – though the kids have more talent than I have. We have two sons who are students at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Séamus, who’s 16, has just completed a grade eight. He loves piano, and he also plays the trombone. Lorcan plays piano and cello. One of their teachers, Fionnuala Moynihan, actually took part in the Dublin International Piano Competition a few years ago; so when I saw the notice up in the academy asking for host families, I decided to sign up.
“I had always wanted to host travelling musicians, and when we built a house with an extension, I thought this would be a nice thing to do. It gives the children a good insight into other people’s cultures. We have a 20-year-old Korean pianist staying with us. I used Google Translate to send a welcome in Korean, and to make sure he knew I’d pick him up at the airport. He speaks good English. He has lived in Germany for four years and I think he has travelled around a bit as well, so he’s accustomed to all sorts.
“I drove him over to the RDS on the first day of the competition – after that, because of parking and because we live right beside the Dart in Clontarf, I went across on the train with him and showed him where to go. So he doesn’t have to have me with him all the time. I also gave him a mobile phone so he can text me. I had my piano tuned too, so that it’s up to speed. So we’re all looking forward to whatever the competition brings.”
Soonie Delap, Cabinteely. “I’m Korean myself, married to an Irishman, and I’ve lived here for more than 30 years. I thought it would be nice to host a Korean competitor, to give them a touch of home from home – in terms of food, and language as well. I have three children who are now finished college and who have gone through the musical examination system with all kinds of instruments; and I know they got very uptight before piano or violin or cello exams. I’ve been through all that. So I thought that just before an international competition, it would be good for the competitor to have familiar things around.
“It is a client-centred approach – I ask him, for example, what he would like to eat. He can have Irish dishes, but there is Korean food in our house too. In my experience, I can only last for five days without Korean food. I need a periodic injection of something spicy.
“Another reason why I volunteered is that I felt this is also a way of making a contribution to the arts in Ireland. I have always gone to the semi-final and the final of the piano competition at the National Concert Hall. This international competition is so costly – at least if the competitors are looked after in a voluntary family setting, it makes the whole thing possible. I saw it as a way of making a contribution to music and to art in general.”
Tickets are on sale for today and tomorrow's last round solo recitals at the National Concert Hall in Dublin (2.30pm and 7.30pm each day), and there are very limited tickets available for Tuesday's grand final at nch.ie. tel: 01-417 0000
